Frozen in Time
by BlackShadowScythe
Summary: Lupin meets a scientist developing cryogenic freezing technology and plans to freeze himself and perform one last heist to prove that no matter what time he's in, he is indeed the world's greatest thief. As usual Zenigata is right behind him... (includes Lupin VIII)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One-** Return to the Past by Going to the Future

* * *

><p>"You really don't expect to see this sort of thing outside the movies."<p>

"Well Mr. Lupin, I think you'll find that modern technology is slowly turning fantasy into reality."

"I'd say." Lupin said in awe as he put a hand on the hibernation capsule. "Amazing."

"Indeed." Dr. Einfrieren nodded. "My dream is to store people who have been inflicted with presently incurable illnesses so that they can be reawakened after a cure is found and live full, healthy lives. The project is currently being put on hold due to a shortage of funds. Temporary, I assure you, but it has slowed my progress quite a bit."

"How much do you need?" Lupin asked.

"No, no, no!" the doctor replied, hastily. "That's much to generous, really there's no need! I'm sure I'll manage."

"Come on Doc, what's a few billion to a master thief?" Lupin grinned. "Besides I get it all back once I return."

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand."

"I'd be willing to give you as much as you need on one condition." Lupin explained, "That I be the first one you freeze."

"As a scientist, I must say that, that is an incredibly reasonable offer." Einfrieren said, "But as a friend, I can not allow it. This isn't time travel you know. Once you are frozen, there's no going back. You are a perfectly healthy individual. If I freeze you, you'll miss out on your whole life." He smiled, "And I know there's at least one person you don't want to miss out on. Especially now that she's _Mrs. Lupin_."

"Fujiko..." Lupin said, dreamily. He shook his head and put on a serious face. "Don't get me wrong Doc, I'm grateful for all I have. But the fact of the matter is, a guy misses the old days you know? And then I remembered your little experiment and thought; won't it be great if Lupin the Third pulled one last heist? Prove that no matter what time he's in, he's still the greatest thief in existence?" He winked, "And even if I don't make it in this future world, I'm sure it'll still be a heck of a lot of fun!"

He straightened his jacket and smirked. "And as for the missing out on the rest of my life thing, remember when you were saying how fantasy was becoming reality?" he said. "Well it might surprise you to know that I have a 4th dimensional connection."

Dr. Einfrieren raised a curious eyebrow. "Are you trying to tell me that you are antiquated with a **time traveler**?"

Lupin flashed a smug smiled and knocked on the side of the capsule. "So how much do one of these babies cost?"

"About a half a million francs each."

"How does 5 million sound?" Lupin offered. "Enough to make a whole batch and expenses to further your research."

"That's wonderful! Thank you Mr. Lupin!"

"Hey, it's no problem!" Lupin said. "Besides, it's you who's doing me the favor here Doc!" He stuck out his hand for Einfrieren to shake. "So when do we start?"

* * *

><p>"Where is he?!"<p>

Einfrieren's eyes widened in horror as the Inspector crashed down the stairs, grabbed him by the collar and began shaking him furiously. His brain rattled in his skull as he fought to make sense of what Zenigata was talking about.

"You mean Mr. Lupin?" he replied stupidly, the Inspector's face still a dizzy blur as Zenigata finally set him down.

"No! I meant the damn Queen of England!" Zenigata shouted sarcastically. "Of-" He stopped eruptly when he spotted the hibernation capsule.

"Ah ha!" He cried, rushing over to the capsule and banging a pair of handcuffs on the glass. "There's nowhere to run, I gotcha this time Lupin! Come outta there you little weasel!"

"Careful!" Einfrieren cried, pushing the Inspector back. "It's very delicate! If you break it while he's inside, he'll die!"

"Well then tell him to get outta there! What are you waiting for Doc!?" Zenigata demanded.

"I can't." Einfrieren lied. He would have had no trouble reversing the freezing process, but the thought of handing the thief over and possibly the majority of his lab equipment with him, was one he would do anything to avoid. "Once the freezing process starts it can't be reversed until the set time."

"Fine then, I'll wait." Zenigata growled, pulling up a chair.

"Then I'm afraid Inspector you'll be waiting for a very long time." Einfrieren informed him. "The capsule is set to open 170 years in the future."

Zenigata looked as if he was about to explode in frustration. He took off his hat and began chewing on the rim. "Fine. I'll just take the capsule to the police station." he muttered, still biting on the hat. "No, I can't unplug it... and even then... that won't work either. Grrr! Crap! Crap! Crap!" he shouted, tossing the hat to the ground.

"I do happen to have a second capsule. It's just the prototype, but it should work **OKAY**..." Then he added under his breath. "Maybe..."

"Oh yeah?" Zenigata said, brightening. "So where is it?"

Einfrieren walked over to a corner of the laboratory and removed a dirty piece of cloth, revealing a second capsule. This one wasn't as sleek as looked to have preceded the first by several years.

"Inspector, though I admire your dedication to your job, I feel I would got be doing mine if I didn't warn you that this here is life altering piece of technology. If you wake up in the future, you-"

"Won't be able to get back." Zenigata finally. "I figured. But that doesn't change my decision. That little weasel would be going to the future unless he wanted to steal something and as a police officer, it's my duty to stop him. Besides," he added. "I doubt he would leave this time if he didn't know a way back. Didn't he tell you that?"

"Yes." the doctor mumbled. "I he did, but-"

"Lupin is more than some third rate thief as I'm sure you know." Zenigata said. "The Ganimards failed for three generations. I'm not about to do the same."

Einfrieren nodded and started up the capsule. It opened, releasing a puff of water vapor. The inside of the contraption was lined with a layer of leather for the subject to lay down on. Einfrieren gestured for Zenigata to get in and then sealed the capsule.

"You sure this thing is safe Doc?" Zenigata asked. Just then, the freezing solution was released and the Inspector was rendered motionless. Now there would be no going back...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two-** Awakening

* * *

><p>"Hey, is there anyone scheduled for today?" A man with a lab coat and goggles asked, peering pass the computer screen at his partner.<p>

"Let me check." he replied, pushing several buttons on the keyboard. "Wow." he added a moment later. "Looks like there are two for today."

The first man cocked an eyebrow and walked over to the other side of the desk. "Really? What time?"

"Pretty soon actually. About an hour apart."

"What? Who's the idiot who did that?" the first man growled. "That's totally inconvenient."

"Looks like they're both from the same year, 1988."

"1988?" He started counting on his fingers. "That's like my grandpa's grandpa's grandpa... or something. Hey, you think dinosaurs existed back then? I mean real ones not the clones we got at the park."

"It was the year this organization was founded dumb-ass!" his partner shouted, "I swear Louie, you'll alright sometimes, but whoever hired you needs to get their brain checked. And your brain checked." he added in an undertone.

"Oh shut up, Johnny. Least I'm not a shut in bookworm." Louie retorted.

Johnny ignored the comment and looked back at the screen. "They must have been test subjects for the very first hibernation pods. But if they were, why would they be scheduled to be unfrozen this far in the future? Sure a lot of our patients have been frozen for a while, but they've only been scheduled to be unfrozen a few months after cures for their aliments are discovered. But in this case, they both seem to be healthy. It just doesn't make any sense."

"Well why don't we hurry up and unfreeze them and ask?" Louie suggested.

"I suppose." Johnny signed. "I just hope they don't suffer from amnesia or anything like the last guy did. We don't have their info so we can't even tell them about themselves."

He bent down and stared at the screen by the door, activating the retinal eye scan. The screen beeped and the door slid open, allowing both men to pass through. "Better bring the equipment with us." Johnny said, pointing at a cart with various medical supplies. "If they are afflicted with something and the records have just been lost, we need to be ready to do all we can to treat them." Louie nodded and pushed the cart over. As soon as both men passed through the door, it slid shut behind them.

As they walked down the corridor, Johnny whispered each of the pod numbers under his breath. "99...98...97." He had long since memorized the names, numbers and afflictions of the first dozen or so, but as he and Louie continued down the hall, they quickly wandered into unfamiliar territory.

"This is it." Johnny announced. "Pod number 1 and 2."

"What if it's the King of France? I heard a lot of those guys were named Louie too!"

"For goodness sake, read the history book I gave you! The French monarchy ended in the late 18th century! And it was Louis, King Louis, not Louie!"

"..."

"What was that?" Johnny asked.

"Nothin' boss." Louie snickered.

"Hand me the instruction manual. I've never opened any of the original models." Johnny said, examining the pods. "God, these things look like they're about to fall apart." Louie tossed a tablet in his partner's direction. Johnny poked at the screen and flipped through his digital documents until he found what he was looking for. He quickly skimmed the text and handed the tablet back to Louie.

"Alright. Let's begin."

* * *

><p>Lupin awoke to a voice mumbling something to him, though he couldn't make out what it said. "Keep it down Jigen." he grumbled. "Go in the kitchen if you wanna talk on the phone."<p>

The a second voice spoke. Lupin was still too tired and disoriented to make out his words, but he was now positive the voice didn't belong to Jigen. Startled, he snapped up into a sitting position and whipped out his Walther, pointing the barrel at the forehead of the trespassers; A lean bespectacled man, trembling at gunpoint and his equally frightened partner standing a few inches away. Lupin blinked in surprise and looked around. This was definitely **not **his bedroom. He hastily put away his gun as the man heaved a sigh of relief.

"Sorry guys." he said, smiling sheepishly. "Forgot where I was for moment."

"That's alright." the bespectacled man said. "**Short term memory loss** is a common side effect of remaining in hibernation for of long period of time."

Lupin looked around the room and whistled. "The Doc's sure done well for himself." he commented.

"You're talking about our founder, Richard Einfrieren."

"Have you ever seen a real dinosaur?" the man's partner blurted out.

Lupin raised an eyebrow. "How old do you think I am?"

The first man glared at his partner, warning him to keep his mouth shut. Then he turned back to Lupin. "Right now you're in the year 2158. Do you think you might have any descendants or descendants of friends, Mr...?"

"Wolfe." Lupin said, sticking to his usual alias. For all he knew his name was still fairly well know in his future and he didn't need the cops breathing down his neck before he had the chance to fully explore this futuristic world. "And that depends. Do you know anyone with the last name, Mamou?"

"No-"

"Sure you have Johnny! Kyosuke Mamou." his partner interrupted. "He's that author from Japan. Remember that movie I loaned you last month? That was based on one of his books. I tell you, man's a genius!"

"I didn't watch it." Johnny replied flatly. He turned back to Lupin. "I'll look him up in his database and send you over to him."

"Shouldn't we unfreeze the other guy first?"

"What other guy?" Lupin asked.

"There was another patient frozen same time as you." Johnny answered, I assumed you knew each other." Lupin climbed out of the pod and pushed past the two men. He walked up to the pod next to him and peered into it.

"Pops?!" he shouted, as he recognized the man inside. "Aw, I can't believe this! What the hell was he thinking?!"

"So you do know him." Johnny said. "This could take a while. Louise why don't you give Mr. Mamou a call and tell him to come so we can make arrangements."

"Sure boss." Louie replied, gesturing to Lupin. "Gonna need to take that weapon from you through. Stuff like that was outlawed years ago. Nowadays, if you wanna gun you gotta buy one that doesn't draw blood. They don't cause permanent damage and the pain goes away in a few days, but if you get shot by one it can still hurt pretty bad."

Lupin handed Louie his Walther, he would get it back later, and Louie dropped it inside a plastic bag. He put it inside the pocket of his lab coat, then pulled out a book. "This should tell you all you need to know about this age. It's print, not digital so you should know how it works."

Lupin took the book and followed Louie down the hall. He peered inside each of the hibernation pods as he went, looking at the faces of the people inside. As he came closer and closer to the end of the hall, the pods suddenly changed in style and look much more elaborate than the one he stepped out of. "So how do these things work?" he asked, stopping at the last pod. "Hey, this one's empty."

"Yeah, we released the guy in there a couple of weeks ago." Louie replied.

"Is it hard working here?"

"Nah. We get 1, 2 people scheduled for defrosting a week, max. Getting them in and out is quick and simple. Not so much with the old models like yours, but a kid could open the newer ones. The challenge is dealing with the people once they get out a find a place for 'em to live after. That and making sure nothing breaks on us. But Johnny's got the engineering skills and I've got the people skills so we make do."

"I see." Lupin smiled. He had been pushing buttons on the keypad of the empty pod and had succeeded in opening it.

"Hey wait, what-" Louie began before Lupin lunged at him and snatched his Walther. The thief spun it around his fingers and knocked Louie unconscious with the but of the gun.

"Don't hold a grudge on me for this, it's nothing personal." Lupin reassured the man, even though he knew he could hear him. He dragged Louie into the pod and closed it. He waited several moments and opened it up again. He pulled Louie out and dragged him towards the door, holding his eyelids open for the eye scan. The door slid open and the two stepped through.

Lupin dragged the still unconscious Louie behind the counter and seated him at the desk. "You sent me off with Mamou and then sat down for a well deserved rest. Au revoir!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hope you enjoy this part. The next will come soon. In the mean time, I'm also working on a Lupin fanfic titled "I'm a Superhero!" so please check it out. As always reviews are appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three-** Always One Step Behind

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><p>"Lupin!" Zenigata shouted running down the hall. "You're under arrest!" He pounded on the door at the edge of the hallway, but it wouldn't budge.<p>

"Sir!" Johnny cried, panting as he finally caught up with the Inspector. "I've just been unfrozen. Right now your heart is busy plumbing blood through your entire body so you should remain stationary for at least 5 minutes or else you'll p-" He cut himself off as he collapsed, gasping for air, his eye passing the scanning screen and opening the door.

Zenigata ran through the lobby and almost leapt over the reception desk. "Have you see Lupin the Third?!" he cried, causing the sleeping receptionist to bolt up in his seat. He blinked and stared at the Inspector for a moment, his eyes widening in surprise.

"No way!" he cried, grabbing the Inspector by the hand. "You're Inspector Zenigata right? I see you on the news all the time! This is such an honor sir!"

If Zenigata heard him he didn't respond. Instead he pointed to a set of keys hanging from the wall. "I need to borrow your vehicle."

"Of course, Inspector." he said, saluting and handing over his keys. "It's a scooter. I parked it just outside."

"I'll bring it back later." he promised. He winced as he realized how improbable that would be and reminded himself to go back and pay for the scooter later.

When he got outside, he spotted a dinky looking scooter parked close to the entrance, hopped onto it and started it up. "Why is it that I'm always one step behind?"

* * *

><p>Lupin left the car he had stolen from the Hibernation Control Center outside the police station. The city of the future looked completely different, everything was bigger and more crowded. The police station was in the same place it had always been, albeit it had been completely renovated and now had a row of hovering scooters parked outside. He wondered if his hideout was still around. Without him there to maintain the building it had probably long since fallen apart. He would have to remember to visit it sometime when he got back to his own time.<p>

"First things first." he muttered to himself. "Now, where's the best place to get a phone book?"

"Well if it isn't Arsene Lupin"

Lupin froze in his tracks and turned around slowly. A police officer standing guard outside the station waved at him. He looked around widely trying to find the best method of escape. The officer walked up to him, but instead of slapping a pair of cuffs on his wrists he simply smiled and patted him on the back.

"How's the Detective Agency thing working out for you? I told you private detectives don't make much, but it's better than having the o' Zenigata harassing you I guess." he said, "Through judging by your new threads things must be going well. " he added, pointing to Lupin's jacket. "That's a good look for you. Very retro."

"Um... Thanks." he grinned, uncomfortably, not entirely sure how to respond. Part of him still thought it must have been some sort of elaborate trick to buy time until Zenigata showed up. "Eh... Zenigata wouldn't happen to be around now would he?"

"Nah." the officer replied. "You're actually pretty lucky. He left the station a couple of minutes ago to check out an incident that occurred at the HCC."

"You don't say." Lupin smiled, scratching his chin.

"Anyways, what are you doing in Paris?" The officer said with a mischievous grin, "I bet I can guess, and she's standing right behind you."

"Hey, Lupin!" Lupin turned towards the voice just as a woman with short brown hair done in curls latched onto his arm and spun him around playfully. "I thought you were busy today." she cried, giving him a peak on the cheek.

"Y-yeah, well my plans changed so I came looking for you." Lupin stuttered, quickly coming up with a lie. He didn't have a clue who this girl was, but she seemed to know him, and who was he to argue with such a pretty face?

"Well you could've just called me silly!"

"I wanted to surprise you." he replied, blushing as she kissed him again, this time on the lips.

"I guess you got me."

* * *

><p>Zenigata tore down the road on the scooter. His instincts told him Lupin couldn't have gone far. The problem was he wasn't quite sure where to look. As he looked around the city, it didn't take him long to realize the entire landscape of Paris had changed in his absence. The buildings were tall and closer together now. There were even several buildings that hovered several hundred feet above the ground and connected by roads surround by a transparent material. The only familiar landmark was the Eiffel Tower, still standing proudly at the center of the magnificent city.<p>

As the lights of the city drew closer, he began to hear sirens in the distance. Zenigata turned his head to watch as the police cars drove past him, heading in the direction he had come from. He caught the gaze of the man sitting in the passenger seat if the lead car. Their eyes locked for an instant before he slammed his foot down hard on the brakes.

His doppelgänger leapt out of the car and stared at the Inspector with a mixture of surprised and confusion.

**"Lupin!"** they shouted in unison. **"I'm not Lupin, you are! Grrr! Crap, crap, crap!" **The impostor tossed a pair of handcuffs in his direction and Zenigata caught them with ease.

Now that was odd, Lupin has disguised himself as the Inspector on countless occasions, but had never mimicked the Zenigata clan's signature tactic before. His expression darkened. For a thief to use something intended for officers with such skill was a direct insult.

"Should've known you were the one responsible for this Lupin. I always said you would show your true colors one day! But your impersonations are lacking if you think you could fool anyone looking that ugly!"

"What?!" The impostor grabbed him and tried to tear the non-existence mask off.

"Joke's over." Zenigata growled, but his double didn't listen and continued pummeling him in a furry of fists.

Zenigata stepped out of the way and grabbed the man by the shirt, tossing him over his shoulder. His double cried out in pain as he slammed against the ground. Now Zenigata was positive, whoever this man was, he wasn't Lupin. The thief would've never fallen for that one.

As his impostor lay on the ground, Zenigata noticed something fall out of the man's coat. It was an police badge with words 'Zenigata_ Kenji_' in neat print. As Zenigata stared at the badge, his double got to his feet. Before Zenigata could react, he was met to a blow to the jaw and pinned to the ground by a trio of uniformed officers.


End file.
